Significant differences exist between the recommendations for seismic design of the codes and guidelines for reinforced concrete of different countries. Performance criteria for building structure to avoid unacceptable damage during various levels of earthquake hazard need to be refined. More accurate recommendation for the effective flexural rigidity of reinforced concrete members are required for linear elastic structural analysis to enable better estimates of the periods of vibration and the lateral deflections of statically indeterminate structures including the effects of cracking of concrete. Current code recommended values for flexural rigidity will generally lead to estimates of the periods of vibration and lateral deflections, which are on the low side. The capacity design approach to ensure the most appropriate mechanism of yielding will occur in the event of a severe earthquake is generally recognized by codes but to varying degrees of clarity, and the degrees to which capacity design is incorporated in each code varies significantly. High strength concrete and high strength non-prestressed steel reinforcement can be used in the design of buildings but the brittle behaviour of high strength concrete and the unusable yield strength of high strength steel reinforcement need to be considered. Important differences between codes exist in the rules for the quantity of confining reinforcement placed in reinforced concrete columns to ensure ductile behaviour. Significant differences also exist between the quantities of shear and confining reinforcement required in beam-column joints and in the anchorage of length of longitudinal reinforcement passing through beam-column joints. Precast concrete structures can be designed successfully for earthquake resistance but design codes in seismic regions contain provisions for precast concrete to varying degrees.